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A spring energized stapler includes a “high start” design wherein a striker has a rest position above the staple track. A handle is pressed to energize a power spring while the striker remains stationary. At a predetermined position of the handle, the striker is released to eject a staple. A subasse

A spring energized stapler includes a “high start” design wherein a striker has a rest position above the staple track. A handle is pressed to energize a power spring while the striker remains stationary. At a predetermined position of the handle, the striker is released to eject a staple. A subassembly of a cage and the power spring provides a preload to the power spring in the rest position. The subassembly is separately movable from the handle to allow a handle pressing end to move farther than the striker's distance of travel. The handle includes a movable pivot location to enable enhanced motion of the handle pressing end. Alternatively, an optional lever links the striker to the power spring to provide leverage upon the power spring. A release latch may be mounted in front of the striker to be engaged by the lever or the handle.

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1. A spring actuated stapling device, comprising: a body including a length from a front to a rear;a track disposed along a bottom of the body to guide staples toward a front of the stapling device;a lever pivotably attached at a lever pivot location on the body, the lever movable between a rest pos

1. A spring actuated stapling device, comprising: a body including a length from a front to a rear;a track disposed along a bottom of the body to guide staples toward a front of the stapling device;a lever pivotably attached at a lever pivot location on the body, the lever movable between a rest position and a pressed position;a striker movable vertically within the body at the front of the body between an initial rest position above the track and a lower position in front of the track;a power spring disposed within the body linked to the striker, wherein the power spring includes a relaxed free state, a pre-stressed rest state, and an energized deflected state, the power spring being deflected and energized as the lever moves from the rest position to the pressed position, and at the pressed position the energized power spring is suddenly released to drive the striker to its lower position;a cage at least partially confining the power spring to normally retain the power spring in the pre-stressed rest state, wherein at least the power spring and cage form a spring/cage subassembly elongated lengthwise along the body, the spring/cage subassembly being pivoted to the body at a subassembly pivot toward the rear of the body, wherein the power spring and the cage pivot about the subassembly pivot, the subassembly pivot being separately located on the body from the lever pivot location, and wherein the spring/cage subassembly is further linked to the lever;the spring/cage subassembly having an upper position wherein the power spring is in the pre-stressed rest state, and having a lower position, wherein a forward extension of the subassembly pivotably engages and moves with the striker; andwherein the initial rest position of the striker has the spring/cage subassembly in the upper position. 2. The stapling device of claim 1, wherein the lever engages the spring/cage subassembly in front of the subassembly pivot. 3. The stapling device of claim 1, wherein the cage presses an extension of the power spring at a first cage tab and the tab rotates about the subassembly pivot. 4. The stapling device of claim 3, wherein the first cage tab is adjacent to the striker. 5. The stapling device of claim 1, wherein the striker substantially includes a thin, vertically elongated form, slidable along a striker travel path within a guide slot of the body, and an extension of the power spring engages the striker at a location substantially coincident along the body length with the guide slot. 6. The stapling device of claim 5, wherein the extension of the power spring extends through an opening in the striker to extend in front of the striker, and the extension presses the striker downward at an edge of the opening. 7. The stapling device of claim 2, wherein the lever presses the spring/cage subassembly rearward of the lever pivot location. 8. The stapling device of claim 1, wherein the power spring assumes the rest shape for each of the rest position and the lower position of the striker. 9. The stapling device of claim 5, wherein a latch is pivotably attached to the body adjacent the striker and separate from the lever pivot location, the latch engaging at least one of the striker and power spring to normally hold the striker in its initial upper position against a downward bias from the power spring, and at a pre-release position of the lever, the latch disengages the at least one of the striker and power spring to allow the striker to suddenly move downward within the striker guide slot under a bias from the power spring. 10. The stapling device of claim 1, wherein the power spring includes an elongated flat metal form, and the power spring extends along a length from the front of the body near the striker toward the rear of the body, the power spring undergoing torsional bending along its length to become energized. 11. The stapling device of claim 1, wherein the power spring includes a coiled torsion spring, and a forward extension of the coiled torsion spring includes an arm, and the arm pivotally engages the striker. 12. A spring actuated fastening device, comprising: a body;a track disposed along a bottom of the body to guide fasteners toward a front of the fastening device;a lever pivotably attached to the body, wherein the lever includes an initial rest position and a pre-release position, and the lever is pivoted to the body;a striker movable vertically within the body at a front of the body between an initial rest position above the track and a lower position in front of the track;a power spring disposed within the body linked to the striker, wherein the power spring includes a relaxed free state, a pre-stressed rest state corresponding to the lever initial rest position, and an energized deflected state corresponding to the lever pre-release position, the power spring being deflected and energized by torsional bending as the lever moves from the rest position to the pre-release position, and at the lever pre-release position, the power spring is suddenly de-energized to drive the striker to the lower position;a cage at least partially confining the power spring to retain the power spring in the pre-stressed state, wherein at least the power spring and cage form a spring/cage subassembly, the spring cage subassembly being pivotally attached to the body separately from the lever; andthe power spring extending along a length of the body from a front end of the power spring toward a rear of the body. 13. The fastening device of claim 12, wherein the power spring is an elongated flat form. 14. The fastening device of claim 12, wherein the power spring is a wire spring in bending. 15. The fastening device of claim 14, wherein the power spring is a coiled torsion spring including two arms extending respectively frontward and rearward from the coil, and wherein the front arm extends to the striker, and the arms are pressed within the spring/cage subassembly. 16. The fastening device of claim 14, wherein the power spring is a coiled torsion spring including two arms extending forward from the coil, and at least one arm extending to the striker, and wherein the arms are pressed within the spring/cage subassembly. 17. The fastening device of claim 12, wherein the lever is pivotally attached near a front of the body, the lever is linked to the spring/cage subassembly, and the lever moves an extension of the spring downward as the lever moves from the rest position to the pre-release position. 18. The fastening device of claim 12, wherein the power spring extends from a rearward location of the body to a front end of the spring, and the front end engages the striker to move with the striker between corresponding upper and lower positions of the striker and spring front end. 19. The stapling device of claim 12, wherein the power spring assumes the same rest shape for each of the lever rest position and the striker lower position. 20. The stapling device of claim 12, wherein the power spring maintains the pre-stressed rest state without input from the lever.